Bay Harbor Foundation offers 'Good Samaritan' donor challenge

June 28, 2012

Courtesy photo/Michael Murphy IV

ELLSWORTH -- In an effort to raise awareness of the Good Samaritan Family Service's work in Charlevoix and Antrim counties, the Bay Harbor Foundation has extended a challenge that will match donations to the organization.

The matching funds apply to all gifts given from residents of Charlevoix County through the end of the year. Once the donations reach $10,000, the Bay Harbor Foundation will give a matching $10,000 donation.

"We are very grateful to the Bay Harbor Foundation," says Bill Broadwick, development director of Good Samaritan. "It is a wonderful opportunity for us to get the word out about all the great work we are doing in the area, and it is a wonderful way for people to see their gifts multiplied to have an even greater impact."

Good Samaritan Family Services began in 1990 as a one-woman operation to help families in need. Since then, the organization has expanded to include a food pantry, two resale shops, and a Moms & Tots resource center. Today, nearly 200 volunteers work with the organization, donating a cumulative 21,000 hours of service per year to make sure operations run smoothly. Every month, an average of 600 families receive food from the food pantry, and many of those also receive assistance paying their medical and utility bills. Since its inception, the Good Samaritan has served more than 43,000 families in Charlevoix and Antrim counties.

Candace Fitzsimons, executive director of the Bay Harbor Foundation, says, "I hope that citizens of Charlevoix County will recognize what an exceptional resource is available in the Good Samaritan organization and the matching fund challenge will be entirely utilized to benefit those families in need in our region."

Merrie Goodrich, a client of Good Samaritan, speaks highly of the organization and the ways it has been able to help her and her family to make ends meet in tough times. With an associate degree in accounting, and a bachelor's in business administration, Goodrich never thought she would be in need of a food pantry.

"I had a great job downstate," she says.

But when both her parents became ill, she quit her job to move north and take care of them. When she first moved to the area, she heard about Good Samaritan and decided to stop in. The organization helped with electric bills and the food pantry stocked the whole family with meals.

"They've just always been there for us," says Goodrich. "They give you so much food, it is really incredible. I don't know what we would have done without them."

With the job market less than stable, and the economic downturn still affecting rural Michigan, the need for service organizations like Good Samaritan is great according to Mary Peterson, director of the pantry and resale shop.

"Every day I see people who are in deep need. Whether it is senior citizens who have difficulty paying their heat bills, or single parents trying to feed their families, we truly want to help everyone we can," Peterson said. "Thanks to so many generous donors, we are able to be a helping hand to many people who have nowhere else to turn."

To learn more about Good Samaritan Family Services, visit www.thegoodsam.org. To take advantage of the matching funds opportunity, donations are accepted online or by contacting the organization at P.O. Box 206, Ellsworth, Mich. 49729; (231) 588-2208. To learn more about the Bay Harbor Foundation, visit the website at www.bayharborfoundation.org.